How to Reuse or Recycle Old Clothes

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the amount of waste we produced from 1980 to 2005, increased 60 percent. Many of us are doing our part and trying to reduce our waste by composting and recycling. It is a commitment and we are rising to the challenge, shunning our old wasteful habits, but there is always more to learn as recycling doesn't seem to be instinctive to most of us.

Don't forget to recycle your old clothes! Instead of throwing them away consider:
1. Giving them to someone you know.
2. Giving them to charity.
3. Hosting a clothing exchange party with your friends.
4. Consigning them to earn some cash.
5. Cutting them up and use them for rags to clean your home.
6. Make one of the really cool and unique crafts to reuse old clothes listed here!

A beautiful quilt made from old sweaters:

1. Cut the sweaters into squares.

2. Use a sewing machine to stitch the square together.

3. Sew backing on the sweater squares and hand stitch around the edge for a beautiful finished quilt.

How to Reuse or Recycle Clothes to Make a Quilt

This craft project promises to make quick and easy work of creating a tote from an old tank top. Simply sew the bottom of the tank closed using a machine, then embellish the tank with fabric paint. The instructions give other cute ideas for tote decorating.


Tank Top into a Tote

Your hands will be warm and toasty if you repurpose that old sweater into a pair of mittens. Create a chic, green look at the same time. If you can operate a sewing machine, you can make these mittens.

Make Mittens from an Old Sweater

Jars can be used to store just about anything. They can also be used as a creative container for a gift, such as a cookie mix, valentine candy, or bread mixes. Reusing an old sock to cover a jar gift will add more homemade charm.

Sock Jar Cozie

This takes a bit longer than the tank top tote above, but the outcome is a very stylish tote. Step by step instructions to create a t-shirt tote on a sewing machine at Craftbits.com


T-Shirt Tote

You can show your June Cleaver side by making this apron from old handkerchiefs. Pretty and practical, a sewing machine is needed to create this one-of-a-kind apron project. It can be completed in about an hour.

Handkerchief Apron

You can use a coat hanger and old fabric swatches from clothes, or linens, to create home decor. This wreath is done in a few hours and only requires cutting... NO sewing.

Wreath from Fabric Scraps

If you need some more pillows, you can make these cute t-shirt pillows. The instructions in this tutorial keep the sleeves in tact, but if you prefer a square pillow, you can always remove the sleeves and neckline for a square, or rectangular, pillow.

TShirt Pillow

Teens will love this craft. If you have a sweater that is loved, perhaps it is just the right color, or goes great with a certain jacket, what do you do when you can't wear it anymore? Make it into this trendy hooded sweater scarf. They are stylish and it is the perfect solution when that favorite sweater gets a hole, because it allows you to keep wearing it! Super way to recycle a wool sweater, I made one from a beloved Merino wool sweater.

Recycled Sweater Hooded Scarf

Rag rugs can be made from many types of fabric, including plain old cotton t-shirts, or wool sweaters that have seen better days. Those shirts that you loved, but got a stain or a hole, can be recycled into a rug easily. All you need is some canvas, a latch hook and old clothes.

Rag Rug Making from Old Clothes

If you are like me and you still have clothes from high-school, this is a great way to put them to use and clear out your closet. Make them into something you can use... a Quilt. Pure genius and this looks so amazing with the right border.

Reuse Old T-Shirts to Make a Quilt

Another perfect use for an old t-shirt that you can't bare to part with, but has seen better days. That t-shirt may have a hole, or no longer be in style, but it will still make a perfect pillow.



T-Shirt Pillow

Here is another rug that can be made from t-shirts, but it doesn't require sewing. Do you remember those latch hook kits that you used to buy at the store? Well, this is the same idea except instead of yarn, we use t-shirts.

Laura has a very detailed explanation of how she made this latch hook rug on her blog. I've seen it done other places, but other instructions were not so detailed. Laura dyed the fabric the color she wanted before starting and made a very large rug.

This recycled t-shirt project appeals to me for 3 reasons: First, who doesn't have old t-shirts that they need to get rid of? Second, can't we all use extra rugs? Third, there is no sewing. Hooray!

Latch Hook Rug from Old T-shirts